Fine Men
by Riku-Rocks
Summary: At the end of the first film; what if Commodore Norrington could not simply let Will walk away, but would not allow him to hang either? What role might Jack play in his plan to save the boy? Here is another way the tale might have ended. No clear pairings


_Author's note: I wrote this because I always find it odd that everyone basically ignores Will at the end of the film. Considering the number of witnesses to Jack's rescue and the fact that Will could not claim to be simply protecting anyone (other than Jack, of course) by his actions, I don't see how the Commodore or Governor could justify simply letting him go free when it came time to report to higher authorities. I also could not see them wanting to hang the boy, so here is the most likely alternative I could think of. Enjoy._

_Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Pirates of the Caribbean. I am making no monetary profit from this. Thank you._

* * *

After watching Captain Sparrow jump (or more truthfully, fall) into the waters below and start swimming towards his ship, James turned to see that Will and Elizabeth were watching their apparent friend as well, with mixed looks of fear and joy on their faces. As he swiftly took in all of his surrounding men, he realised that he needed to make a decision...and fast.

"Mr. Turner," he stated in his usual no-nonsense tone. He heard the boy tell Elizabeth that he would accept the consequences to his actions and felt a small stirring of respect mixed with an odd sort of pride. He motioned for his men to stay back with a hand as he nodded for the boy to walk a small distance away with him.

The young blacksmith's apprentice looked slightly confused and completely resigned as he followed James, who turned to him once they were out of easy hearing range. His tone was businesslike as always, but he lowered his voice slightly, so Will would know the words were for him only. "I have always tried to be a good man, Mr Turner, and I have certainly intended to live honourably."

When James paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, Will nodded solemnly, "And you always have, Commodore."

The Commodore fixed the youth with a sombre stare. "Have I? Sometimes I feel torn between my duties and my own desires…" His eyes drifted towards Elizabeth, who watched with concern from her father's side, then returned to gaze at the boy beside him. "I fear that you have received the blunt end of that torment."

"Me, sir?" The youth seemed to be asking out of an ingrained politeness rather than actual curiosity. He no doubt suspected how often the Commodore had turned a blind eye to his accomplishments or sufferings over the past few years in their unspoken rivalry for Elizabeth's hand.

James turned his gaze back to the sea; the pirate was halfway to his ship already. "Ever since we rescued you on the voyage here eight years ago, I felt responsible for you…even more so than I do the other people under my protection here." He turned back to the boy. "I even considered taking you in myself when I heard that drunkard Brown wanted you as an apprentice."

The boy looked slightly stunned by that confession, and then his warm eyes turned inward and James knew the youth was comparing what had been to what _might _have been, if he had taken that course of action. Brown eyes snapped back into the present as the Commodore drew his sword.

"This is a beautiful sword," James commented without a hint of threat or irony. The boy looked thoroughly confused now. "You have done well, despite Brown's shortcomings. You have never caused trouble before and have become a useful and respectable member of this society…but that will not matter when word of your feat today spreads."

The older man sheathed his sword and took a step closer to the youth, "I am sorry, but my hands are tied."

Will swallowed and nodded, his voice was soft but steady as he replied. "I will accept responsibility for my actions. I-"

"Go after Sparrow," James interrupted, looking as though he were just as surprised as Will to hear himself speak the words. "You called him a good man, and I am inclined to trust your judgment. You saved his life today. He owes you. He can leave you at the next port he docks in and you can start over."

Blue eyes moved over the youth quickly before locking onto a pair of torn brown eyes. "You are young, talented, and dedicated. If you claim to have finished your apprenticeship early, your work will speak louder than your youth; or you could simply claim to have learned all you could from your last master and that you want to finish your apprenticeship under another."

Will blinked as understanding broke through the haze of shock of confusion that had clouded his eyes. "You would have to search for me anyway. What good would-?"

"You are not in the same boat as Sparrow," stated the Commodore. "You are a boy who took his civic duty too far and got caught up in a mess he never should have been involved in. The people here will remember what you did today, but they will also remember the quiet boy who never asked for anything or caused any trouble. As long as you continue to be that boy, you will not be hunted, as the pirate will be. Your crime is not great. You can disappear."

Will looked hesitant and his eyes flickered towards Elizabeth. James noticed this and then glanced towards the pirate ship in the bay. "Elizabeth will lose you now either way and Sparrow is boarding his ship. You have to hurry, Will, please…" The last word along with James' slightly desperate tone and the use of his given name caused the youth's attention to return to the older man immediately. "Do not force me to choose between my duty and my own feelings again. I will not hang you."

Brown eyes widened slightly, the boy knowing what the consequences would be if the Commodore refused to fulfil his duty in such an instance. He nodded gravely, and then glanced towards Elizabeth again before turning his gaze back to James. "Explain everything to her…please; and take care of her."

James nodded sombrely, "I will."

"Thank you." The boy's tone and expression made it clear that he was thanking him for more than just his promise.

James grinned slightly, "I honestly don't know if I'm being selfless or selfish at the moment."

Will grinned slightly in return, "I've felt that way throughout all of this."

The Commodore nodded and, with a look of slight trepidation, the youth ran to the edge of the fort and dived off.

Elizabeth screamed and ran toward the ledge, but her father grasped her arm firmly and James was beside her in a heartbeat. They all looked down and released a group sigh of relief when the boy resurfaced and started swimming towards the _Pearl_. James heard the pirate captain's voice on the wind, carrying orders to his crew and saw that the _Black Pearl _was obviously moving to the boy's aid…the crew was keeping an eye on him and preparing a rope already.

"What is going on?" Elizabeth demanded, locking eyes with James. "What did you say to him?"

"Elizabeth, please…" The Governor pleaded but stopped upon noticing the harsh edge to his daughter's eyes and the way the Commodore looked both heartbroken and elated at the same time.

"Elizabeth, he is doing this for us," stated James. Her expression remained angry and confused and he continued before she could retort. "If he stays, he goes to the hangman. He is sparing us…all of us. I would rather know he is living somewhere where I cannot watch over him than be bound to watch him face the gallows, whether I am a witness or facing it beside him."

Elizabeth gasped lightly and turned to her father, "But you granted him Clemency before…couldn't you-?"

"I'm sorry, my dear, I truly am," replied the Governor as he shook his head sadly. "No one was being threatened besides a known criminal with a long list of ill deeds. I cannot justify granting him Clemency this time. Please, Elizabeth…Commodore Norrington has found the only way to save the boy's life and I am glad for it. I couldn't bear to watch him hang either."

The young woman nodded slowly, still shocked. Her voice was shaking slightly when she spoke again. "Of course…I would rather him live. I just…I thought it would all end differently. I suppose I was not being very realistic…" Her eyes moved to James and her voice dropped to barely more than a whisper, "Do you suppose we will ever see him again?"

The man wished he could say something to let her hold on to the fairytale ending she had imagined, but he knew she deserved better than placating remarks. "For his sake and ours, I hope not. He can never return here and as long as he does not continue to throw in his lot with the likes of Mr Sparrow, there will be no need for me to seek him out."

Elizabeth nodded again, then blinked back the tears in her eyes and took a few steadying breaths, obviously trying to compose herself. James decided to give her a moment, and turned to check on the _Pearl_'s progress. He saw that Will was already on board, surrounded by several pirates as the _Pearl_ sailed away form Port Royal. He prayed that he had indeed led the boy towards a better, and far-off, end.

"The boy has once again saved you form a painful fate Elizabeth," stated Governor Swann. "Do not think poorly on him and, please, do not make his and the Commodore's efforts in vain. You can have a very fulfilling life here. You were willing to live without him to save him before."

James turned back to the pair to see Elizabeth offer her father a small reassuring smile before squeezing his hand gently. The man immediately looked relieved. The young woman then turned to James, looking as though she wanted to say something but was not sure of what or how.

The Commodore turned to the Governor, "Could we have a moment, sir?" Elizabeth nodded when her father glanced at her and then the elder man nodded and walked several paces away. James placed a hand on Elizabeth's back as they both turned to watch the _Black Pearl _disappear into the horizon like a ghost ship in the fog.

"Sir, what about Sparrow?" called Norrington's second in command.

"Oh, I think we can afford to give him one day's head start," replied the Commodore easily before turning to raise his brows confidently, giving the younger soldier the cue to leave, which he obeyed. Then, James turned back to the sea. "Elizabeth, Will asked me to take care of you and I intend to do that," he turned to look at the young woman, who he was surprised to see was watching him already. "However, I meant what I said aboard the _Dauntless_. I only want your hand if it is given sincerely, so I will not ask you to marry me now. Perhaps someday, when we have moved on from recent events…but for now, please feel free to come to me for anything. If only to honour Will's parting wish."

Elizabeth smiled, but her eyes were still holding a lingering sadness, and the man knew she would vary between those emotions for some time yet. "Thank you, James. I shall…and not only for Will. You are a fine man, and I would not have been unhappy to marry you. I meant what I said aboard the _Dauntless_ as well. Perhaps, in a few weeks, we might try again. For now…it's just all too much."

The Commodore smiled and patted her back gently. "Why don't we play it by ear? If nothing else, your unusual friends have taught us that such a plan can lead to pleasantly surprising results."

Elizabeth smiled genuinely as the two continued to stare into the sea for a while, both content in their decisions and wishing their friend well.

* * *

Will grasped the rope thrown down to him easily enough, and made to climb it before he was hoisted out of the water and flung over the railing of the _Pearl_, much to his surprise. He lost his footing upon landing and fell onto the hard deck. He looked up to find himself surrounded by pirates, most of which he recognised. The boy then made to stand, but paused in his movements when a few of the pirates drew their weapons while a few others fingered theirs, and the remaining pirates, who had travelled with Will before, looked at the others in confusion.

"Captain," asked Ana Maria, clearly annoyed with some of her crewmates. "Is the whelp a stowaway, a hostage, or a new member of the crew?"

The pirates moved out of the way as Captain Jack Sparrow approached. He looked down at the boy thoughtfully before answering. "That all depends…"

He slowly looked down at Will, "Can you sail under the command of a pirate, whelp?" Jack then grinned as he held a hand out to the boy, "Or can you not?"

Will took the older man's offered hand, feeling a slight sting as their cut hands pressed together, and allowed him to haul him to his feet. "I cannot," he replied, and then grinned as the pirate's smirk fell in confusion. "But I can sail under a good man…even if it often requires an act of piracy."

Jack offered his usual roguish grin, "It's in your blood after all." The man's smile turned more genuine when the boy's did not drop at the reference to his heritage. He hoped that meant the lad was starting to square with his father's vocation and the residue it left on him.

Then, the Captain noticed that several members of his crew were still standing nearby to watch the exchange. "What are you all standing around for?" He asked roughly. "The Pearl's not going to sail herself!"

The man sauntered back to his place at the helm and continued calling out orders until all of his crew were likewise in their rightful places. "Now," he said quietly, as though to himself, "Bring me that horizon." Jack glanced about as he pulled out his compass, and noticed his newest crewmember helping Gibbs tie down the mainline. Aside form the lad's clothes, which the Captain intended to rectify at the soonest opportunity, he looked for all the world as though he belonged there.

Jack grinned again as he flicked his compass open and started to hum to himself.

"…And really bad eggs…"

_Fin_


End file.
